Reluctant Retiree

I spent the day with my grandson playing as many sports as we could. This is an annual event that we call Sports Day. It is a wonderful tradition that I started when my sons were young and now I have the privilege of doing it with my grandson. He is 9 years old now and we have done this for seven years.

We battled the heat and played basketball, baseball, Frisbee golf, hiking, dodge ball, swimming, soccer, tennis, kickball and archery. I will be sore tomorrow.

Why do I do this? I can think of no better way to spend time with my grandson, get to know him better, and impart some good stuff into his life. Fun breaks down barriers and brings us closer together. It is always more than worth the effort, although at 71 years old I am not sure how many sports days are left in me.

God wants you and me to be as close to Him as we possibly can be. He wants this relationship to be strong and fruitful. Therefore, He has given us His Holy Spirit to actually live inside us. The Spirit leads and guides us in righteousness, while also teaching us about God. Jesus used the illustration of a vine and branches to describe how close He wants us to be and how much He wants us to depend on Him. He said, “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:4-5.

So why not have a sports day with God. Choose to spend time with Him. Abide in Him by the power of the Holy Spirit. See what He can do with you and through you.

When I was a child, I used to imagine myself as a great baseball player. Whether I was playing ball with neighborhood kids or throwing the ball against the garage door, I was the best. In my make-believe games I dominated the opposition. The crowd adored me. Of course, I was only great in my mind. When it came to real games in Little League, I was only average.

When I grew up, I still imagined myself achieving greatness in my chosen endeavors. I quickly learned that I had to be somewhat ruthless and egotistical to gain an edge over others. Fortunately, I was not created with ruthless and egotistical genes, at least to the extent required to become great. So I had a good career in my field, but it could not be considered great.

As with so many things, Jesus has a different view of greatness. In Mark 10:42-45 Jesus said, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. “

So Jesus turns the table on worldly culture. He says that we must become servers if we want to be considered great in God’s kingdom. What a radical idea then, as it still is today. Jesus not only spoke of greatness in this way, but He demonstrated this truth by giving His own life so that we might live. What more can be asked of a true servant who is the greatest among us.

What do you do when you are in trouble? Do you lash out at the one causing the problem? Sometimes I do. Especially if I don’t understand the issue. Do you ignore it, hoping it goes away? I do this sometimes also. Often it seems like more trouble to resolve the issue than to push it under a carpet. Or perhaps, you go to a safe place with your struggle, like a trusted friend or counselor.

We all try one of these options, or perhaps others, when we are faced with a problem. Sometimes they help and other times they don’t. The overriding truth is that we will all face hurts and pain. Some troubles will be justified and we will feel that others are not justified.

I came across some interesting verses in the book of Psalm today. They give me a lot of hope when faced with difficulties, struggles, pain and suffering. Psalm 57:1-3 says, “Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in you my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, till the storms of destruction pass by. I cry out to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me. He will send from heaven and save me; he will put to shame him who tramples on me, God will send out his steadfast love and his faithfulness!”

God knows each hurt we suffer. He cares about us. When we are suffering, we can look for His steadfast love and faithfulness to be sent to us. We can take refuge in Him and He will cover us.

Right now I am sitting in a room that I recently painted. As I look around, I can see the mistakes I made and the places that I did a good job. I want to somehow cover up the errors and enhance the view of the good places.

Sometimes I do the same type of review of my life. It is easy to remember the mistakes and feel the sorrow. It takes a little more effort to remember the good choices and actions that I took. Somehow I can feel appreciation for those good times.

All this is easy to understand when we read Psalm 32:10-11; “Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the Lord. Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!”

Sin brings sorrow. If we are honest, we can confirm that as we examine our past. On the other hand, righteousness surrounds us in love. Again, an honest evaluation of our past will confirm that. So as we go through our day, we can remember the warning and the promise of these verses, and choose sorrow or steadfast love. I pray that you and I will choose uprightness and love today.

I don’t know about you, but I spend a good portion of my day doing things that make me feel good about myself. For the most part I eat nutritious foods, not just to be healthy, but also to demonstrate that I am a healthy person. I have made walking a habit, again not just to be healthy, but to show myself and others that I have a healthy lifestyle. I try to be honest, giving, kind and temperate not just to get along with people, but also so that they think that I am a good person.

Even the good things that I do have some degree of self righteousness involved in my motives. I seem to think that I can show myself to be righteous regardless of my heart attitudes. The Bible clearly states that all my efforts to be righteous are just filthy rags. God is not impressed with my good works, done in my own strength, and largely done for my own glory.

God wants us to recognize that we cannot be righteous in our own schemes. He wants our hearts not just self righteous acts. Psalm 51:16-17 says, “For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.”

When we learn that we truly have nothing to offer God, but our broken hearts, then we are in a place where God will heal, deliver, and save us. If we cling to our self righteousness, He will not accept our offerings, no matter how good they appear to us or others.